In Writing - A McRoll in the REAL World Story
by Mari217
Summary: Steve & Catherine turn an unexpected outing into a very unique and cozy date night.


_Sammy &amp; Ilna, how can I thank you both for all the wonderful time we've spent together in this incredible place? For being REAL friends? For big awesome and making me a better writer every day? There are no words … just a huge (((Group Hug ))) - I love you guys._

_REALMcRollers, readers, guests, your feedback is overwhelming and we all thank each and every one of you. We're so, so grateful. We love and respect Steve and Catherine as much as you do and we __promise__, we aren't going anywhere. And they will ALWAYS be safe with us. We love you all._

_A REAL World shout out: Sarah, glad it went well, we hope you're out and about soon!_

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**In Writing**

After a grueling interview with two uncooperative witnesses, Steve and Catherine were heading home from the North Shore in a torrential rain storm. It was slow going; they'd driven for two hours in the teeming rain, taking detour after detour, and the roads were getting worse. Visibility was close to zero when Steve pulled over to the first structure he saw.

It turned out to be a series of seedy-looking trailers, with _**Regency Guest Houses - Vacancy! **_on the sign out front.

Catherine was on the phone calling HQ, and as Steve pulled over, she hung up and turned to him. "Danny says the roads are washing out. We're gonna have to stop. There's no way we're getting back tonight**.** If I can't get Esther, he said he'll pick up Cammie and take her home."

"Let's see how bad this place is. I'll be right back."

"I'll come." She unbuckled her seatbelt.

"Catherine. No use in both of us getting soaked."

"Then I'll go. You've been driving in this for over an hour." She grabbed her police-issue windbreaker, pulled up the hood and was out of the truck before he could protest.

Steve ran behind her up to the trailer marked _office_ and came upon the manager who was leaving the last 'room' on the left.

He ushered them inside the tin-roofed office.

Catherine pushed her hood off and ran a hand through her damp hair as Steve's eyes scanned the perimeter of the room. He instinctually stepped closer to Catherine when the manager's gaze ran over her. The guy's tone made Catherine huff in disgust as he addressed Steve.

"Hourly rate's forty. Sixty for overnight."

"The weather sucks in case you haven't noticed. We need to wait out the storm til morning." Steve's voice held no humor. "I wanna see a room."

The shorter man yanked a key from a peg. "Number four."

Steve followed Catherine out with his hand on the small of her back. "I'll go look, Cath, you try to call Esther."

Agreeing with a nod, she pulled her hood back up and bolted through the rain to the truck, trying to avoid the ankle-high puddles along the way.

Steve reentered the office less than a minute later and placed the key on the counter. "Yeah, we're gonna pass."

Although they had certainly been in far worse conditions, those were under much different circumstances. He wasn't paying to have Catherine sleep in a room they wouldn't consider boarding Cammie in.

The middle aged, unkempt-looking manager with twenty-years-out-of-style sunglasses perched atop his greased back hair, eyed Steve jealously and smirked. "No offense, but you look like you've stayed in worse."

Steve gave him a death stare. "Not the point."

"It's raining like a bitch here, and I got rooms to clean."

Steve gave him a skeptical look at the word 'clean'.

"You want a room or not?" He tilted his head at the truck. "Looks like your lady's gettin' antsy. Besides, I bet she could make you forget your surroundings _all_ night long …"

Steve's fist clenched at his side. "Apologize."

"What?"

He took a step closer and looked down at the guy whose eyes had run over Catherine in way that made Steve want to castrate him. "Apologize to the lady."

"She didn't hear me. Most guys'd be happy they could get a piece like that, it was a complime…"

"Not from where I'm standing." His eyes were hard, his voice menacing. "Address your apology to Lieutenant or Ma'am."

"You gotta be kidd …" He clearly saw Steve was not. "Jeez, okay. Sorry, _Ma'am_." He called in the direction of the truck.

Catherine nodded but her eyes remained on Steve.

"So, you stayin' or not?"

"Hell no."

"You'll be sorry. Can't pitch a tent in a swamp. Can't ..." his grin was oily, "_move_ around much in a truck. If you change your mind ..." Steve was walking back to the truck while he was still talking.

Slamming the door as he got in next to Catherine, he smiled when she said, "Thanks." She'd known exactly what the entire exchange entailed, even from a closed truck several yards away.

Steve said, "Screw it, we'll sleep in the truck." He took the towel Catherine had fished from his go-bag and ran it over his hair and face.

"That bad, huh? Even for one night?"

"It's a sewer." He grinned ferally. "And I was really close to shutting that little asshole's mouth with my fist."

She placed a hand on his thigh. His cargoes were soaked to the skin from the short run. "Not worth it. Truck's fine. I called Esther, she's on her way to stay with Cammie."

He let out a breath. "Good." He nodded at the rain. "Ready for a _really_ cozy date night, Rollins?"

"With you? Anytime, McGarrett."

Steve put the truck in drive and pulled out of the lot with a smile.

A few miles southeast, the road forked. Catherine was consulting the GPS on her phone. "Bear left, it's higher ground."

Steve nodded and stopped in the first area he deemed safe from flash flooding and cut the engine, rolling his neck and shoulders.

Catherine unfastened her seat-belt and shifting, kneeled up on the seat to face him. "C'mere." She reached out, pushing gently until he turned towards the window, she began to knead his shoulders. "I'm driving home in the morning. You're one big knot from driving in this."

"I'm good. It's fine." He turned back and kissed her lightly.

"Liar. I can feel how tense you are." She smacked him gently on the bicep with a grin and sat back. "So are we sleeping sitting up? Or you wanna try the back seat?"

Just stopping their drive through the now-sideways falling rain and wind, Steve was relaxed enough to grin at her in the fading light. "We've _tried _the back seat plenty of times …"

She returned his mischievous look, happy to see some of the tension dissipate. "Smart ass, I meant for _sleeping_."

"Yeah, okay." Steve unclasped his seat-belt and offered his hand. "Hop in the back. Once we're settled, we'll use all the gear and the go bags to pack the foot-well."

She nodded and waved to indicate she didn't need a boost. "That'll widen the sleeping surface." She nimbly moved to the back seat and removed her jacket and boots. Handing Steve his go-bag, she pulled her own bag onto the seat. "Get those pants off, they're soaked through." She said while wriggling out of her jeans and into a pair of yoga pants and socks. She knew Steve was used to making due in horrendous conditions but there was no need to sleep in drenched clothes all night. They might as well be as comfortable as possible.

"Our date didn't even start yet and you're ordering me outta my pants?" At her snort, he smirked. "Always I knew I chose the right girl." Steve peeled off the drenched cargoes and and fished out boxers, dry pants and socks. He ditched his t-shirt and button down, which were also drenched, and donned a tank.

Minutes later, their wet clothes exchanged for dry, Steve smiled at her, "Move over, Rollins."

Catherine grinned and scooted to the side, patting the seat, before he climbed over with his usual agility and landed beside her. "Does this signify the beginning of our date, Commander?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.

His arm slid around her. "I believe it does, Lieutenant."

"Good. 'Cause I _really_ want to … mmm ..." she whispered against his lips and then laughed when he went to deepen the kiss. "Have dinner."

Steve groaned good naturedly. "Nice, that's nice. Very funny."

She shrugged and her eyes were sparkling when she pecked his lips. "_I _thought so." Reaching into her bag, she handed him a liter of water, several bags of dried fruit trail mix, a package of almonds and M&amp;Ms. "Appetizers and dessert."

Steve leaned over the front seat and into his own bag. "And for the main course, we have …" he spoke over his shoulder, "spaghetti with meat sauce, Mediterranean chicken, meatballs with marinara, and beef stew. Choose your dinner, Lieutenant."

Catherine smacked him playfully on the butt. "The view is distracting me … could you repeat the choices?" He huffed a laugh and she said, "Anything's fine."

When Steve backed onto the seat, handed her a pouch and held one for himself, he said, "We have sausage biscuits for tomorrow morning if we're hungry before we find a place to stop."

Catherine held up her MRE. "What've you got there?" She eyed his meal.

"The chicken."

"Here." She wiggled her fingers. "Gimme that."

He raised an eyebrow. "You want _two_?" He offered her his meal. "Go ahead, there's plenty."

She shook her head. "No. You like the beef stew, it's your favorite. I'll eat the chicken."

"I like the beef stew because it tastes the best. Eat the stew, Cath." He smiled at her, knowing she was on to him.

"Nope." She'd known exactly why he'd given her that meal, and while either of them would eat pretty much anything, she wasn't letting him get away with it. "Half each or we toss a coin," she challenged, and then leaned over to place a hand on his cheek. "And I love you for it, by the way."

"I love _you_." He turned into her hand and kissed her palm. "Eat the stew, Catherine."

"Not happening." She shook her head with smile.

He smirked. "Obstinate."

"Pot, kettle, McGarrett. C'mon." She tore open her pouch and thrust it at him. "Half each."

"You're not gonna let it go, are you?" His smile grew. Even stuck in a horrendous rainstorm, forced to sleep in the truck, Catherine made everything not only okay, she made him laugh. And showed him how much she loved him.

He shook his head and shoveled in a few mouthfuls of the Mediterranean chicken, grinning while he chewed.

"There you go." Catherine took the MRE back and ate her share. When she finished, they shared the beef stew.

Steve put the remnants of their meals into a zip-lock pouch before they filled the foot-well area of the back seat with gear, covering it and the seat with a blanket to make one surface. They'd use the blanket from Catherine's bag as a cover when they slept.

"Hey." She glanced over her shoulder to see Steve's face. He was lying lengthwise across the seat, propped against the window on a rolled up tarp, and Catherine was settled with her back against his chest. "M&amp;Ms?"

"Nah, I'm good." Steve ran a hand through her hair when she twisted to kiss him. She smiled when he said, "Hmmm, chocolatey."

"There's plenty …" she offered, jiggling the bag. She had reached into the cup holder for the package and popped a few more in her mouth. "These are the pastel ones Nonna sent in the Happy Easter card."

"They taste better like this …" Steve kissed her again, and she sighed against his lips.

They'd been in close quarters before. They'd had some mutual missions back in their N.I. days, but they were always on duty. This was an inconvenient situation that would have many people frustrated and edgy; Caused bickering most likely, and she was actually _happy_.

Happy Steve could adapt to anything with his usual prowess.

Happy they were safe and not driving in monsoon-like rain.

Happy Cammie was cozy at home with Esther.

Just … Happy.

There was such a contentment that washed over her with how they could sit for hours and not desperately rush to say and do what they'd held pent up for weeks or months.

Even though they'd been together full time in their home for quite a while, a moment like the one they were sharing could easily bring her back to how, for so many years, they were 'on the clock'. And how here and now they could just be … them.

She placed her hand over Steve's, where it rested on her tummy. He was absently sliding his fingers over the waistband of her pants as they alternated between talking in hushed tones and listening to the wind and rain until Catherine's phone dinged and she reached for it.

"She's okay?" Steve knew who it was before she held it up to to show him the image of Cammie and Esther in front of the TV, both lounging on the floor.

"She's great. It says, _Didn't want to kill your phone charge. I ate and went potty. I'm fine. Esther is, too. xoxox, Cammie_

Catherine smiled happily, returned the text and tucked the phone into the cup holder. "Speaking of potty breaks, I have to pee." She reached for her boots and slipped them on. "Hand me my jacket."

She donned the windbreaker and opened the door to dash into the heavy tree cover where the canopy of leaves lessened the rain. Minutes later she was back, shaking the water off to rejoin Steve, who'd only had to lean outside the truck. She wasn't that wet, but he handed her the towel when she removed the jacket.

"Thanks. Nice and dry there, McGarrett?" She smirked.

Steve noticed the goose bumps on her arms. "Cold?" It was cool out from the storm and they'd left the windows open a bit for air.

"Just damp. A little chilly."

He grinned. "C'mere. I'll warm you up."

"I'm counting on it." Crawling back into her previous position with a smile, she tugged the blanket up over them and placed her arms over Steve's where he'd wrapped them around her and nuzzled her neck.

Catherine was once again settled against him, both their hands resting on her tummy. They talked softly for an hour or more, until he murmured, "We should sleep, you know," into her ear.

"Hmmm in a while." She sighed and traced his knuckles with her fingers.

A bit later, Steve moved slowly to shift until they were lying down across the seats. "This okay?" he asked when they were lying nose to nose in the small, but not uncomfortable, space. He pushed her hair behind her ear. "You got enough room?"

"I'm great. Can you straighten your legs?" She was concerned about him not being able to stretch out. The twenty four hour glow sticks provided enough light for her to see his eyes looked greener in the artificial yellow gleam.

"At an angle, yeah, I can. You sure you're okay like this?"

"I'm fine." She ran a finger over his cheek. "I'm actually better like …" She moved to push him onto his back and was lying flush on top of him. "This."

Steve's eyes darkened and he smiled. "Yeah?"

Catherine nodded playfully and kissed kim. "Yeah."

"Can't think of a better way to say goodnight."

"Me either." She ran her lips over the tendon in his neck. "Besides, you're all tense from driving in the rain. I'd never forgive myself if I didn't help remedy that situation ..."

"That so?" His smile flashed with his eyes and his hands moved up and down her back.

"Absolutely. I am trained to identify and neutralize ... problems. Besides," she smirked, kissing him. "We can add 'on an overnight in the truck during a rainstorm' to our list." She deepened the kiss as hands wandered, clothes were manoeuvred out of the way, and mouths fused.

* * *

Later, when Catherine shifted, Steve murmured, "You okay?"

"Mmmhmm." She whispered, "Hey, look, we fogged up the windows," with a soft giggle. When he moved to kiss the finger she placed against his lips, she gently pushed it into his mouth.

Withdrawing her dampened finger, Catherine placed a hand on Steve's shoulder for balance and stretched over his head. Her hair brushing his shoulder as she reached to draw a heart on the foggy window made him smile, and she chuckled when he kissed the part of her tummy that was aligned with his lips.

She returned the kiss as she came to lie back down, her body touching his, head to toe. "There."

Steve craned to see what she'd done and his smile broadened. "Bet you haven't done _that _in a while."

She grinned. "Haven't done that, ever."

"Not even in middle school?" He thought of the doodled hearts and flowers on Grace's notebooks.

She shrugged. "Never." The look in the shining brown eyes was one of absolute love and devotion. "Never wanted to before."

Catherine was nothing if not honest about her feelings, and Steve melted at her look. Girlish displays were uncommon from her; he'd known there was a deeper meaning in the gesture.

Those beautiful eyes were watching him in the dim light. "I …" he pulled her into a deep kiss, shifting in the cozy area of the truck. "Love you, Cath."

"That's good." She returned the loving smile, and then the kiss. "Because_ I_ love _you_." Her eyes danced and she laughed softly. "And I _did _just put it in writing and all." She slid off Steve to lie at his side, pulling him along so she was still molded against him.

Steve's laugh was low and deep. "Well in that case." He moved as best he could in the small space with Catherine plastered against him, and reached above their heads. "There." His tone was playful, but the look in his eyes made her run a hand over his cheek.

Intertwined with her window-drawn heart, Steve had drawn one of his own.

"I love you," he repeated.

"In _writing_ and everything." She placed another gentle kiss on his lips before snuggling back against him and closing her eyes.

"And _everything_." Steve tightened his hold ever so slightly, settled for sleep, and sighed.

_._

_End. Thanks for reading._

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